Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

4th c. 5th c. 6th c. 7th c. 8th c. 9th c. 10th c. 11th c. 12th c. 13th c. 14th c. 15th c. 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.
Human Rights Archive of Chile
Inscribed 2003
What is it
A collection of trial transcripts, newspaper reports, news
clips, photographs and other historical documents kept
by different institutions in Chile.
Why was it inscribed
This archive represents a unique history of the
dictatorship period in Chile from 1973 to 1990, the effects
of which are still reverberating today. It seeks to ensure
that the memory of human rights violations and the
defence of human rights is kept alive.
Where is it
National Archive of Chile, Santiago, Chile
From 1973 to 1990, Chile was ruled by the military
dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. This 17-year
regime was characterized by systematic suppression
of political parties and the persecution of dissidents to an
extent that was unprecedented in the country’s history.
The Human Rights Archive of Chile aims to ensure
that the historical memory of human rights violations
and the defence of human rights, which is documented
in various archives of national institutions, are
preserved for future generations.
The archive seeks to safeguard this memory because
it captures a specific historical moment of actions
of solidarity with ,and defence of, persecuted and
arrested persons during the military dictatorship.
The archive originated as a way of preserving information
and supporting the search for those who disappeared
during the military regime. The materials come in several
different forms. There is a press archive of newspapers
and magazines related to human rights issues from 1974
to 1990. Specifically, it includes news clips and historical
articles related to the arrested, politically executed,
banished, tortured and disappeared. An audiovisual archive
has photographs of nearly 1000 disappeared persons.
There are historical heritage documents relating to the
participation of human rights institutions in the social,
Atacama desert, Chile: a cross marks
the symbolic grave of many of the ‘disappeared’. �
538 Human Rights Archive of Chile
political and juridical life of the country and in the
international community. Also preserved are leaflets,
flyers and posters created by teams set up to denounce
violations and disseminate information about the work
of the human rights institutions. A judicial archive contains
court testimonies and resolutions transcripts from trials
concerning the disappeared.
In the last hundred years, Latin America endured a high
number of authoritarian and totalitarian governments.
Engendering respect for fundamental human rights is
vital for the collective future of the region. Conserving
the archives is necessary in order to set forth a public
debate in these societies to enable them to question the
presence or absence of the memory of human rights
violations. To understand the raison d’être of democracy
and respect for human rights, it is necessary to know and